


Maybe I have a thing for bad boys and accents- in that order

by auriadne



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff without Plot, M/M, longish drabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 20:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10704579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auriadne/pseuds/auriadne
Summary: In which Reyes is a triple threat of skill, looks, and charm; and Scott is weak to it.





	Maybe I have a thing for bad boys and accents- in that order

Scott should have known the second he met Reyes Vidal, that the man was going to be the death of him.

Even without the mystique, the accent and charm alone were enough to quicken his heart; and the flirtatiousness was more than Scott had dealt with in well over 500 years. The smuggler noticed this too. There was a glint in the other man’s eyes in their every interaction that told Ryder that he was enjoying teasing the naïve Pathfinder a little too much.

It was a huge distraction from his duties- Scott, more often now, found himself focused on how Reyes leaned in a little too closely, how his arm would brush his while animatedly talking, or the way his eyes narrowed with a playful, dangerous glint while watching Ryder meticulously. It didn’t take much to get under his skin, and Reyes was able to do it like it was second nature.

Even back on the ship, Ryder’s not so little crush was apparent to his crew members who had no qualms in giving Scott their two credits. Liam had questioned his judgement, and Scott could do little more than to brush it off with a joke. A few others were a little more poignant in their observations. Peebee had pressed him for details, not letting up until Scott had to give in and admit that just maybe he had a thing for bad boys of the tall dark and handsome variety. Cora had some particularly strong words for him, a voice of unwelcome reason, bringing up his inexperience- which he suspected was rooted in more than just his love life. 

Of course, he ignored it entirely. The closer the Tempest got to Kadara, the more he’d find his mind drifting back to that man with an inexplicable pull. He figured out rather quickly that if ran into enough bars, he’d eventually stumble across Reyes sticking to the shadows.

This time was no exception.

It was easy, _so so easy_ to let himself get swept away. Reyes had that way about him, a pull like he was the center of everything. Maybe it was it was his clever eyes or overflowing charm- either way it had the Pathfinder drowning.

Scott hadn’t realized he’d been staring until the smuggler spoke up- his voice taking on a familiar playful tone. “My, my Pathfinder. You’re going to make me blush if you keep looking at me like that.”

A low chuckled rumbled from the man when Scott choked on his Asari whiskey. His hand slammed against the table as he tried to catch his breath. So much for good impressions- coughing and sputtering was totally not cute. “Ah, sorry. I just-“ Scott cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to… I’ll stop.” He grimaced at just how lame sounded.

Reyes rolled with it.

“Are you so sure about that?” His words and gaze cut right through Scott. It sent a jolt through him, like the other man knew absolutely everything. A furious blush crossed the Pathfinder’s cheeks. He shifted his gaze to the bar. Even when he focused on Umi grumpily slamming down a drink order at the bar, he could still feel those dark eyes on him. It’d be more unsettling if it wasn’t something he secretly wanted. Instead it just settled into a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Reyes smirked. “I didn’t get where I am from not being able to read people, and you’re quite the easy read, _Scott._ ”

The sound of Ryder’s given name rolled off in that sweet accent sent a shiver down his spine. His hand immediately clasped around his mouth, as he muttered something completely unintelligible, glancing back to the other man. Reyes was leaning his head on his hand, idly watching the reactions he could elicit from the younger with the simplest provocation- with that same taunting smirk that haunted Ryder’s dreams, stretched across his face.

There was only one word on his mind.

“Fuck.” Scott blurted out, muffled by his hand.

The way Reyes laughed, and this time _really_ laughed gave him butterflies in his stomach that made him feel ten years younger. “If I knew you’d react this way, I would have saved it for a more _opportune_ moment.” Reyes’ hand grabbed his, far more gently than Scott would ever expect, trying to coax it down to the table slowly.

His breath shuddered.

Scott was many things, but vulnerable was not typically one of them. In this case however, with his body betraying feelings he had yet to fully accept, he felt bare. Reyes’s expression visibly softened seeing this, though he didn’t miss a beat. “Not that I mind you flustered and red faced. Though it leaves me wondering, in what context have you thought about me saying your name?”

Okay, okay. Scott shouldn’t have thought he was going to say something sweet. That was giving Vidal too much credit. What Reyes was obviously implying wasn’t too far off base, which only made the heat under Scott’s collar double in intensity.

The last thing he needed to associate any more with Reyes Vidal were those lonely nights in the depths of space.

Scott sputtered out an awkward laugh, jerking his hand from Reyes’ and extracting himself from the situation in the only way he knew how. “Hahaha. I’ve got to go... uh, find some paths. Calibrate stuff. You know, just _go_.” He stumbled out pushing past a few inebriated patrons before bolting.

Outside the bar, he burst out in self-deprecating laughter. Oh god, if Sara could see him now. That scored pretty highly on embarrassing interactions courtesy of his own bad people skills. His heart was still beating too fast, and his armor was feeling a tad too stifling. It had been a long time, since he was a teen on the citadel, that someone had affected him in this way so quickly. Maybe Cora was right, Vidal was dangerous- particularly to Ryder and his own sanity.

He needed to get off this planet before he gravitated back to that man. He was feeling that tug in the back of his mind already.  

What he didn’t count on was for Reyes to follow him.

Scott didn’t notice at first, as he was berating himself mentally. At least none of his crew mates were there to witness it, or else he’d never hear the end of it. So when his arm was caught in a tight grasp from the shadows, he jumped- reactively sending a punch at the figure. He was met with a click of a tongue. “You’ve quite the hook, even if it’s too slow to hit me.”

“Reyes! How? And so fast?” His words were fragmented by surprise.

“Chalk it up to my rogue-ish ways, though no one’s ever complained about me being too fast.” He added with a wink.

Scott’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god. _I can’t do this_. You’re so- argh.”

Reyes quirked an eyebrow.

Scott knew his reaction was overkill; but that _terrible_ , _charming_ , and _utterly intoxicating_ Reyes Vidal had been on his mind for over a month. So he turned on his heel, pacing away- making it halfway down the corridor before echoed words gave him a change of heart. “Don’t disappoint me so soon, Ryder.”

Ah.

As flustered as it made him to hear his first name the first time, reverting back to formalities was… disappointing. Scott bit his lip, debating whether to bite the bullet or run away.

He chose the former, turning around. “I don’t- I just-“ Scott huffed loudly. He wished the courage he had at leading the Tempest carried over to this part of his life. “I’m not any good at this.”

Reyes crossed his arms and leaned against the wall- shooting back with a quick quip. “It’s rather amusing to watch you flounder through it though. Please continue.”

Scott groaned, shifting on his feet. “Don’t tease me, Reyes. Please.” His eyes darted around, they were alone for the moment. In a lowered tone, Ryder continued. “I like you more than I should.” He paused as Reyes’ grin spread across his face, distracted by the tongue that darted to wet his lips. “Everyone’s warned me away from you. You’re dangerous. You’re a criminal, a liar.” Scott hated to admit it, but his crew had a point. Vidal was not a safe bet but a risky gamble.

“That’s all true.”

But this was a gamble Scott was willing to make.

“Regardless, I still feel the same way.” _My heart always races at the thought of you._ Oh, had he actually said that last bit out loud? It was embarrassingly sappy, like a line from those cheesy romance novels Sara used to read. If he hadn’t been so caught up in the previous confession, it would have bothered him more.

The implications of it were more impactful than anticipated. The smirk dropped from Reyes’ face, and he took a step back. There was an air of seriousness about him that Scott hadn’t seen before. “Your squad mates are right. I am dangerous. It would be safer, smarter, for you not to be involved with me any further.” Scott could feel his heart drop at those words. “But I am also a terribly selfish man.” His hand cupped Scott’s chin, fingers cool against his heated skin, tilting his chin down and teasing his thumb across Ryder’s lower lip.

Every nerve in Scott’s being wanted to melt into the gesture and to reciprocate Reyes’ clear interest wholeheartedly, but there was a pull at the back of his mind. Reminding him of his duty and responsibility as Pathfinder. He pulled away, looking at Reyes, the other was watching him expectantly, then to his own hands that were wringing with uncertainty.

_What did he want?_

 “I think… I want a chance to be selfish too.”

Reyes was a terrible influence- terrible yet great.

At the utterance of those few words and in a whirlwind of a movement, Scott’s back slammed into a wall. Reyes’ forearm pressing into it next to his head, caging him into the smuggler’s space. Their foreheads touched as Reyes leaned in with the tinge of a smile playing at his lips. “You’re not even trying to seduce me. Yet here we are, and here I am completely hooked on you.”

After Scott’s breath caught in his throat, he grinned. “It’s a good thing it worked out like this. I’m a terrible flirt.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime.” Reyes muttered out quickly, breath ghosting over his own parted lips.

That was all Scott could take, and he made the first move- throwing an arm around the dark-haired man and pulling him into a kiss. It took all of a millisecond to have Reyes’ tongue in his mouth, hands grabbing for purchase on his armor. It was the first time he cursed wearing his full armor planet side.

A moan caught in his throat when Reyes’ hands managed to pry between the plating of the suit to tease against the thinner carbon fiber of his under suit. The whole deft hands, rogue thing was no joke.

Another indecent, drawn out sound was muffled against mouth on his own. “Get a fucking room.” Someone shouted from the end of the hall. The smuggler broke away for a moment to laugh before letting himself take one more kiss from the Pathfinder, tugging lightly on Scott’s lower lip as they separated with a disappointing finality.

Scott panted lightly, eyes flicking from the man’s damp lips to his eyes that were solely, intently focused on the Pathfinder, himself. Scott wanted to kiss him again- wanted to touch him, wanted to do _anything_ to satiate this burning inside him. Instead of satiating the want, this only served to exacerbate the need that was flooding his senses.

And at the worst possible time, his communicator went off. Ryder banged his head against the wall with a frustrated groan. “I hate to say this, but I have to go. In a -not running away- way.”

“Ah, I was hoping to continue this elsewhere. But duty awaits you oh noble Pathfinder.”

Scott pouted. “Don’t make fun of me.” Neither of them budged from their entanglement. It was Scott that finally had to pull away, even though he loathed to do it.  “Hey, Reyes, will you meet with me here next time we dock?”

“I could never say no to such a handsome, capable man.” Reyes sent him off with a wink and a grin, much like the first time they met; yet somehow it never lost its charm. Scott sighed. 

_What the fuck did he get into?_


End file.
